Lester in Leicester

The star of the hit TV show Hustle entered the lecture theatre to excited whispers, and I'm sure quotes such as "you can't cheat an honest man" were running through many a person's head. Yes, Mickey Stone himself, aka actor Adrian Lester was in Leicester today, to show a short film both written and directed by himself for the Cultural eXchanges week.

I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the audience had turned up as fans just wanting to see Adrian rather than being interested his short film, but the same couldn't be said by the time they left. Adrian has left his mark on British television already as an accomplished actor, starring in shows such as Hustle and Merlin, and has also done stage shows playing parts like Hamlet. The short film Of Mary is his time to prove he is more than an actor; he's a talented writer and director too.

Well, he certainly proved that during this showing of Of Mary. The lights went down and the film started, simple yet serious the entire way through to make it seem incredibly realistic even down to the last detail. Twenty minutes later the credits rolled. It was only after the credits were done that the audience seemed to shake itself from silent awe and break into rapturous applause. Clever script-writing and subtle visual hints lead to a twist in the plot right at the end, leaving the viewer thinking "ah yes, I should have spotted that. It's all so obvious now."

Not only was the film cleverly written and presented, it was focused on a soldier returning home to his wife and child, a subject that should be handled with great care. Of Mary dealt with this expertly, creating a film that was so moving, it's amazing it was as short as it was. Being able to toy with the audience's emotions so intensely is a rare gift. A gift that Adrian Lester and the rest of the Lesata Productions team clearly have.

Sarah Kate Beckett

Talent to break down walls

Today, I looked into the future. About 2 years into the future to be more precise. What did I feel? Fear? Awe? Anticipation? All of the above.

The Demon Crew showed publications of the 3rd year Creative Writers, and after seeing them on display, I can honestly say I feel safe in the knowledge that this generation of writing is in good hands. Ranging from poetic plates to fairy-tales turned on their head, multi-vocal poetry performances to a guide of "How to be an Award Winning Boyfriend", the event was a success. If talent was a tangible thing, the walls of Clephan 2.29 would be breaking open due to the sheer amount within it.

Beforehand, I must admit, I was afraid that all the pieces would be pretty much the same thing. Thankfully I was proved wrong. There were vast differences between the pieces of work, and each one was uniquely important to the writer. Clearly a lot of effort (and money) had been put into them. There were also so many angles to the different pieces of work, some of them purely humorous or entertaining, others tackling serious issues, like discrimination against homosexuals.

I feel I can speak for all the first year Creative Writers when I say "Oh god, I hope I can live up to that."

Sarah Kate Beckett

Did you miss out?

Dr Ming Turner's talk was exactly what it said on the tin: contemporary Chinese and Taiwanese art. No confusing theories, no in-depth lecture into the history of either country. Just art. Art with a relevant explanation.

Ming showed a lot of different examples of Chinese art, such as more western-influenced artists like Wang Guangyi. There were also Chinese artists who have to work outside China because their work deals with subjects which the Chinese government do not want out in the open. For example one piece by Yue Minjun is inspired by the events in Tiananmen Square in 1989.

Dr Ming Turner went on to describe Taiwanese art, explaining that, because of Chinese rule over Taiwan in the 1940s, Taiwanese art was more traditionally Chinese than actual Chinese art has become. She showed examples of Chinese artists who are becoming quirkier and less traditional all the time, like Danniel Lee with his project on "hybridity", and Yu Youhan's take on Andy Warhol's famous Marilyn Monroe painting, merging it with Chairman Mao Zedong to create a pop-art Mao/Marilyn.

It was a shame this talk wasn't packed, because anyone with the slightest interest in art or China, or both, would have thought this talk was something to sit up and listen to. Dr Ming Turner did a brilliant job of conveying the motivations behind most Chinese and Taiwanese art, like the cultural revolution. I only wish more people could have been there. If you missed it, you missed out.

Sarah Kate Beckett

Mending social connections

It's Cultural eXchanges week at University. I headed to a talk on the use of arts in prisons. It was hosted by Arts Alliance, for whom art doesn't just mean painting, but drama, dance, music and writing as forms of art too. They believe that if crime is a broken social connection, and art is a largely social thing, the arts can help to rebuild that connection.

Many people believe that prisons are too luxurious for convicted criminals, to which Arts Alliance respond it's "not just a holiday camp". They explained that in every prison, education is contracted from outside the prison to teach the offenders. They then explained that classes in the arts probably take up less than 5% of the courses on offer, which they think is not enough at all.

Why are they so persistent about the need for classes in the arts? Because it has been proven that not only does it save public money on other forms of rehabilitation, but it also reduces the likelihood of a prisoner re-offending. Arts Alliance helps by training people to continue giving support to prisoners after their release.

There are also groups such as the Shannon Trust which work within prisons, encouraging more-able prisoners to mentor the less-able prisoners, in reading and writing etc. This can help prisoners who need to reach level 1 in Mathematics and Literacy before taking Arts classes. This is largely so that they can pick out those who will most likely excel on the course. (This may seem unfair but it was also made clear that exceptions are made for prisoners without level 1 in mathematics and literacy if they show show a great deal of enthusiasm and passion for art.) Arts Alliance insist that these classes not only teach a form of art, but also how to express ideas, responding to feedback, and working in a team, all vital skills.

My vote? The arts should be taught in prisons, because surely, if an offender has an interest in one of the arts, it would be easier to rehabilitate them and reduce the risk of re-offending.

Sarah Kate Beckett

Cultural highlights

I'm my highlight of next week week will be seeing the short film Of Mary, directed and written by Hustle star Adrian Lester. As a huge fan of Hustle, I'm looking forward to seeing Mickey Bricks in the flesh, but I also want to see what else he can do. He's a damn good actor and now he's putting himself on the map as a writer and a director. Plus, I'll be in big trouble with my Nan if I don't go and see him when I get such a good chance.

I'm also going to look at "Arts in Prisons: Art for Art's sake?" and "Dr Ming Turner: Contemporary Art in China and Taiwan". Before I decided to go in for Creative Writing course at University, I was torn between writing and art, and one potential career I had in mind was Art Therapy, where I would have been working with people in mental hospitals, prisons etc. So I was nterested to see that a talk on this very topic was taking place in the Cultural eXchanges week. I'm not about to shed my interest in this area, so looking forward to indulging my love of art.

As for Dr Ming Turner's talk, when you couple my love of art with my interest in China, I couldn't miss it. Eastern art has a distinctive style which is completely different from the art I'm familiar with. I'm not quite sure what to expect but China has a pretty interesting history and I've never been to a talk like this before.


Sarah Kate Beckett